Shute House, Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire

Sir Geoffrey Allan Jellicoe

Shute House, Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire

 

  

Sir Geoffrey Alan Jellicoe was an English architect, town planner, landscape architect, garden designer, lecturer and author, born in London in October 1900. His main focus was on landscape and garden design and he has over 100 projects to his name. Shute house is really interesting, because Jellicoe was originally commissioned to design the space in the late 1960s at the height of his career, which after a lack of maintenance and change of ownership, meant by the 1990s it required full renovation. In 1993 Jellicoe was asked by the owners to reconsider the garden and return it to it's former glory, and he agreed, coming out of retirement for his final project. The most notable feature in the garden is the rill which has a series of geometric pools, waterfalls and fountains, surrounded by high, clipped yew hedges. Jellicoe has really considered the sound of the space and used copper chambers of varying dimensions to emit musical notes as the water passed through. 

 
'Geoffrey had his final dinner at the top of the rill, then a car took him back to his London flat, which he'd vowed never to leave until he died. This was the last sight of the outside world he wanted to have, and to hear the sound of water.' -  Shute House's owner, Suzy, who commissioned Jellicoe for his last project.

Beck, C., 2018. Drawing on history, philosophy, psychology & art, the gardens of Shute House are Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe's masterpiece. [online] House & Garden.

Available at: <https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/gardens-shute-house> 

[Accessed 29 October 2021].